Harrogate district trains and buses to run reduced timetable

Trains and buses in the Harrogate district are operating reduced timetables during the third national lockdown.

Northern announced yesterday it will begin its new timetable on Monday, with the company warning there will be fewer trains.

From Monday there will be 30 daily departures from Harrogate to Leeds on Monday to Friday, compared to 38 before the new timetable.

Tricia Williams, the chief operating officer at Northern, said:

“We will focus on delivering services during the morning and evening peaks so those who need to travel can get to where they’re needed and have the space to maintain social distancing.”

“We’re therefore calling on people to check carefully before they travel and behave responsibly on our trains.”

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The Harrogate Bus Company started its new timetable on Sunday and said it will run eight out of 10 journeys. The following applies:

(The 1) Harrogate to Knaresborough:

(2A) Harrogate to Bilton and Dene Park:

(2B) Harrogate to Bilton and The Knox:

(3) Harrogate to Jennyfield:

(6/X6) Harrogate to Pannal Ash:

(7) Harrogate to Wetherby and Leeds:

(36) Ripon to Harrogate and Leeds:

The Harrogate Bus Company’s chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“Our message to our customers is that we are still very much here for you – our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, just as they have always been throughout the pandemic.

“We know from experience that our buses provide a vital service for key workers and others who depend on us to reach essential shops and services.”

Andrew Jones MP calls for HS2 work to start in Yorkshire

Andrew Jones MP asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson today if the government would consider starting construction of the Birmingham to Leeds section of HS2 in Yorkshire.

Mr Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said starting work on the high speed rail link in the north would be “good for jobs, connectivity to the Midlands and help drive up the levelling up agenda”.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Jones began by hailing the 60th anniversary of TV soap Coronation Street, calling it “an amazing landmark, so congratulations to it”.

He then added that infrastructure promises for the north had gone on for “just as long”.

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Mr Johnson praised Mr Jones, a former rail minister, as a “big expert in this field and a great campaigner for transport”.

However, he stopped short of agreeing to his request. He said:

“I’ve asked the National Infrastructure Commission and Network Rail to look at how the eastern leg of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail can boost the economy for the north.”

Construction work for phase 1 of the high speed rail link, from London to Birmingham, began in September.

Work on the 198 kilometre second leg from Birmingham to Leeds has yet to begin. It is estimated to be completed between 2035 and 2040.

Plans for the Birmingham to Leeds section have been paused while the government draws up an integrated rail plan for the north and Midlands. The plan was expected before the end of 2020.

This pause raised questions about the future of the route, with former Labour transport minister Andrew Adonis tweeting in October that the eastern leg will “probably not now go ahead”.

 

£9.8m upgrade of Knaresborough to Poppleton rail route complete

Network Rail has completed a £9.8m upgrade of the Knaresborough to Poppleton route, which could increase the number of trains between Harrogate and York.

The works have improved the signalling system and changed the track layout at Cattal station, which will allow two trains to enter the station at the same time.

Work has also taken place to install new safety measures at some level crossings on the route.

£9.6m was secured by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership from the government’s Local Growth Fund.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, who is a former rail minister, called the works a “huge step forward” for trains in the district.

“The importance of this is that it removes a bottleneck to future increases in capacity on the line. This means that the ability to increase services to and from York now exists whereas previously the infrastructure constrained that. It is another huge step forward for our local rail line.

“In recent years we’ve seen more services and faster services on the York-Harrogate-Leeds line. We have seen signalling upgrades and the new Azuma services to and from London coming to Harrogate.  We have also seen the back of the old, leaky pacer trains.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said the project would enable “an increased, quicker and more reliable service in the future”. He added:

“The line now benefits from more modern technology and Network Rail have increased safety at a number of level crossings and reduced congestion at Harrogate railway station.”

Northern timetable set to change this month

Train operator Northern has announced it will change its timetable on September 14.

The company said the revised timetable will see more services in many areas and the extension of operating hours in others compared with the current situation.

However, a handful of routes will see a reduction in services.

Steve Hopkinson, regional director at Northern, said:

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on society and the railway has not been immune from that.

“With limited resources, the timetables we are set to introduce in September reflect the new normal for Northern and have been designed to provide as many services as possible, at the times our customers need them.

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“We have brought in as many additional services as possible with the resource we have available and have prioritised routes and times where there is the most significant demand. We will do all we can to reintroduce further services when it is possible and appropriate to do so.”

Harrogate to London rail service resumes

LNER has resumed its direct train service from Harrogate to London.

From today, the operator will run six trains in each direction from Monday to Friday as demand rises due to the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Services on the weekend will remain limited.

Passengers must make reservations ahead of travelling and will be allocated a socially distanced seat. LNER also recommend that they wear face coverings in stations and trains.

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Onboard ventilation systems will provide a “continuous supply of fresh air” with the air cycled every six minutes on every train.

The company said extra cleaning is taking place both on stations and onboard trains, with teams using disinfectant and long-lasting virucidal fog.

Harrogate and York train services to double with £10 million scheme

North Yorkshire County Council has approved a £10 million scheme to double rail services between Harrogate and York, allowing two trains per hour in each direction.

Improvement will come from upgrading the signalling technology, from enabling faster speeds as well as from more efficient use of areas with double track.

The Harrogate Line Supporters Group has called for many years for the single-track section between Knaresborough and Cattal to be converted into double-track.

However, the county council – which secured funding for the project back in 2013 – estimates that converting the route into double-track would have cost £40 million.

The scheme could have been scrapped altogether when Northern Rail was taken into public ownership but the council has worked with Network Rail to find a cheaper option.

Network Rail has agreed to fix the cost of the project, including all development and design work, at £9.854 million.

The council has identified £9.6 million from the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership as well as £3.4 million from parking fines to fund the works.

Council documents have proposed using the surplus from the under budget rail improvement scheme for the overbudget A1 (M) Junction 47 works.

Councillors met virtually to approve the funding for the scheme on Tuesday morning. The deadline for the completion of works from December 2020 to May 2021.

Brian Dunsby, from the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, told the Stray Ferret that the group welcomes the news:

“We have been waiting for this investment for several years after our plans for doubling the actual track throughout were rejected, because there was not sufficient money in the budget to meet Network Rail’s estimate of the potential cost.”